Barolo Prapo DOCG 2016 Ceretto

The Ceretto 2016 Barolo Prapò draws its fruit from Serralunga d'Alba and is, as expected, the most powerful and structured of the various single-vineyard wines presented by this ambitious estate. The fruit veers toward darker nuances with plum, dark cherry and dried blackberry. The mouthfeel is rounder and fuller, fleshed out considerably in all the nooks and crannies, with the bigger impact of sheer Nebbiolo personality. This is your proverbial red-meat Barolo. This site is one of the last to ripen, awarding the grapes ample time to reach maturity at a slow and careful pace.

Really floral on the nose and palate with sweet rose petals, dried strawberries and light citrus, as well as white truffle. It’s full-bodied, yet fine and chewy. Intense finish. Better after 2023.

A stylish red, whose sweet spice and mocha notes complement the strawberry, currant and forest floor flavors. Delicate, showing excellent balance, with light yet tightly knit tannins and a firm, vibrant finish. Best from 2022 through 2040.

The 2016 Barolo Prapò is the most closed and inward of the wines in this range, as it so often is. Iron, savory herbs, menthol, licorice, lavender, macerated dark cherry, dried flowers and sinewy Serralunga tannins give the 2016 its distinctive personality. Aeration brings out that beguiling mix of floral, savory and earhty overtones that is such a signature of Prapò Barolos. The 2016 is an infant, but I doubt readers will be drinking this wine any time soon.